07 September 2018

Are Trump's co-workers right to resist?

President Trump is once again under pressure after new revelations from the White House. Legendary reporter Bob Woodward reports in a book that Trump's co-workers disobey instructions in order to prevent political fallout. And an anonymous White House official has published serious accusations against his boss in an op-ed for the New York Times. But this resistance against Trump from within his own camp is contentious among journalists.

New York Times waging a heroic battle

This isn't the first time the New York Times has engaged in a duel with a US president, La Vanguardia points out:

“It already did this in 1971 with the publication of the Pentagon documents that called into question the military intervention in Vietnam. And nor was the president at the time, Richard M. Nixon, sparing with threats and insults directed at the flagship of the liberal press in the US. Trump will foment his supporters' hatred of the 'elites' and the 'liberal press', and the possibility of this episode reinforcing the prejudices of his voters can't be ruled out. For the New York Times this is a golden opportunity to consolidate its prestige, to recover the essence of the fourth power in these times of tweets, and to help minimise the excesses of the president for whom the two remaining years of his mandate may come to seem like an eternity. For him and the rest of the world.”

Let us not forget that Trump was elected

Pinning one's hopes on Trump's adversaries within the US government is problematic, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung points out:

“One may believe Trump's rivals when they say that they are acting for the good of their country, and that Trump has no respect for the fundamental principles of American government. But just because like many other people they don't like the direction Trump is taking the country in, does that mean they're entitled to take the government in a different direction that they consider 'right'? Yes, one can and must bemoan the fact, nevertheless Trump was elected president by roughly 63 million voters, whereas no one elected the author of the article or Trump's other adversaries. Now Trump's voters will really start to believe the stories about a 'deep state' that is preventing the salvation of the American people.”

Democracy is the main victim

Politiken takes a similar view:

“Donald Trump is a democratically elected president. The officials' methods, by contrast, are deeply undemocratic. If they believe the president is unsuited to his job they must convince the vice-president to seek his impeachment in Congress. Those are the democratic rules in the US. So even if we sympathise with the officials, democracy is the main victim here. And for large sections of the American electorate who see Trump as a freedom fighter against the corrupt elites in Washington, this is grist to their mill.”

Op-ed meant to ease Republicans' consciences

De Volkskrant's US correspondent Michael Persson speculates on the motives of the person who wrote the New York Times article:

“The cynical interpretation is that the author wants above all to save his own bacon. After all, after the war everyone put up resistance too. ... And the election campaign is on. With this resistance story the author is suggesting that there is a parallel movement of decent conservatives in addition to Trump's populism. So decent conservatives can vote for a Republican candidate with a clean conscience in November. ... This leak will no doubt lead to the dismissal [of the author of the article]. But the big danger is that in the eyes of Trump and his supporters this piece confirms the existence of a 'deep state', a state of insiders who are working against the democratically elected president.”

Trump's fans won't be put off

The hatred many Americans feel towards the ruling establishment will ensure that they continue to support the president despite the latest revelations, The Times is convinced:

“There does seem to be a core of voters who will stand by the president no matter what, … who may account for 20 per cent of voters. But there seem to be more Americans who approve of Mr Trump not out of personal loyalty but out of a broader solidarity and belief that, flawed though he may be, he is all that stands between them and a culture and political system that is tilted against them. Trump voters are united by their revulsion at an establishment that - despite, or perhaps because of, the 2016 election - continues to disdain them and promote a left-of-centre worldview.”